Union Minister for Education Shri Dharmendra Pradhan has called on all stakeholders to come together to prepare a robust, holistic annual plan for Samagra Shiksha 2026–27 and take it forward as a nationwide movement. Chairing a consultation meeting to develop a strategic, consultative and implementable roadmap for Samagra Shiksha 3.0, he said that convergence of ideas would strengthen collective capacity and help reimagine school education in line with national development goals.
The day-long consultation, titled “Reimagining Samagra Shiksha”, was held in New Delhi on January 9 and brought together States, Union Territories and sectoral stakeholders. Deliberations focused on emerging challenges, best practices and priority interventions to strengthen governance, infrastructure, teacher training and student entitlements in the next phase of the centrally sponsored school education scheme.
Shri Pradhan appreciated the enthusiastic participation and valuable suggestions of academic experts, senior officials from sectoral Ministries and representatives from 11 States and Union Territories. He said that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047 can be realised only when every child has access to quality education and India achieves 100 per cent enrolment up to Class XII. Bridging learning gaps, reducing dropouts, improving learning and nutrition outcomes, strengthening teacher capacity and fostering critical skills, he said, are collective responsibilities.
Emphasising the need to move the Amrit Peedhi beyond the Macaulay mindset, the Union Education Minister said Samagra Shiksha must become outcome-oriented, globally competitive, rooted in Bharatiyata and responsive to diverse student needs. He underlined the importance of meaningful integration of technology and greater societal participation in schools to promote holistic student development.
The meeting was attended by Shri Jayant Chaudhary, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development & Entrepreneurship and Education; Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy; Dr. Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Higher Education; senior officials of the Ministry; State Education Secretaries and State Project Directors of Samagra Shiksha; representatives of various Ministries; and eminent education experts.
A detailed presentation by Shri Dheeraj Sahu, Additional Secretary, School Education & Literacy, highlighted progress under Samagra Shiksha and NEP 2020, and outlined a framework with milestones for the coming years. Key focus areas included access, equity, quality, teacher capacity building, digital education and outcome-based learning.
Addressing the gathering, Shri Jayant Chaudhary said schemes are most successful when designed through a bottom-up approach grounded in school and State realities. He described Samagra Shiksha 3.0 as the operational expression of NEP 2020, with schools acting as agents of change by embedding skilling, vocational pathways, digital learning and inclusion within a multidisciplinary framework.
Secretary Sanjay Kumar stressed that improving learning outcomes must remain the primary driver of school education. He highlighted the importance of age-appropriate learning, curriculum equivalence across State boards, and leveraging technology—particularly Artificial Intelligence—by integrating it into curricula and making it a core component of Samagra Shiksha.
